Stress is often considered to be something that happens to people: an event such as an injury or a promotion, and a myriad of other things.

Others think that stress is what happens to our bodies, minds and behaviours in response to an event(e.g,heart pounding, anxiety, or nail biting).

The official Health and Safety definition of stress is: ’Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed upon them. It arises when they worry they can’t cope’.

"Stress" is not just one thing, or a single event, that happens to us. Everything we experience "stays with us" - the good and the "bad";

the after-effects of our stressors stay around for at least a year.

CAUSES and Reactions: SummaryOne cause of Stress is "inner pain", by hanging onto their hurts, and inhibiting themselves.

People learn to avoid feeling excitement by holding their breath or squeezing muscles.

Tightening against intense pleasure pain;

emotions: fear, joy, anger, grief, orgasm, laughter.

Chronic excessive muscular tension is a system of habitual muscular contractions that keep a person's spontaneous impulses in.

How Does one manage or cope with stress? There are perhaps as many ways to cope with stress, or to manage or reduce it, as there are people.

Things to do immediately that will help temporarily:

Physical exercise (activity) is an excellent stress buster.

Relaxation techniques can help.

Depending on the "sources" perhaps a spiritual approach may be needed.

However - although many of the most commonly recommended techniques will help deal with the effects of stress - they do not always solve "the problem". Truly coping with it - and overcoming it - requires other steps. Some of the steps you can do on your own - others require help and new insights.

This is one source that provides such help. Healing often (usually) involves several dimensions (the Body-Mind-Soul/Spirit trinity).

Some of the best ways to facilitate healing (coping - overcoming) is through various Relaxation techniques. These not only counter Stress, but also calm us mentally, physically & emotionally. In our workshop we teach & demonstrate:

To truly manage and reduce stress, identifying unrelieved stress and being aware of its effect on our lives, by itself, is not enough for reducing its harmful effects.

Just as there are many sources of stress, there are many possibilities for its management. However, all require work toward change: changing the source of stress and/or changing your reaction to it (below is an outline): detailed training in our Workshops.

Here is an outline of some ways to proceed toward managing your stress, or better coping strategies.

Become aware of your stressors and your emotional and physical reactions.

Managing Stress: The first step in Stress Management is to determine (analyze) your source, or sources of stress, and then choosing, or selecting a strategy that will reduce the effects of stress, or remove the source. Remember that one of the sources very likely, is Fear

Secondly, it will almost certainly require change, or exchange: changing what you do and how you go about it; and perhaps exchanging some stressful activities or thoughts (or both), for more positive ones.

The purpose (and need) is to restore Balance:a process of Detoxifying yourself of negative energies and thoughts, and destructive biochemistry (cortisol and excess adrenaline, for example). See STRESSand reducing the Overload in your life.